A Fall in Winter
by Masterarcher
Summary: Prequel to Strength but you don't need to read that to get this. Arthur and Lancelot get lost and Lancelot ends up in a frozen lake. Please read and review! No Slash


Discliamer: I don't own anything. If I did Lance would NOT have died. PLEASE REVIEW! Thank you and enjoy:)

A Fall in Winter

"We're lost." A dark haired knight stated to his captain. "No we're not." The captain said, stopping to look up at the sky. It was getting late and Arthur Castus and his faithful knight Lancelot still hadn't found their way back to Hadrian's Wall. Seven hours ago the friends had decided to go on a ride to stretch their horse's legs since it had been raining for the past week, but had finally stopped that day. Unfortunately half an hour into their ride the skies had opened up again and it began to pour on them and they had been forced to hide in the cover of the trees until and hour ago when the rain switched to snow and now they were hopelessly lost.

"Ack! Arthur that's the second time we've past that tree stump!" Lancelot declared, trudging over and sitting on the offending stump. They had decided to lead their horses around until their masters knew where they were going. "How did you ever become a commander in the Roman army?" Lancelot asked with a hint of a whine in his voice. "I don't see you getting us out of this mess." Arthur answered agitatedly, and although they we grown men they sounded like children trying to lay the blame on each other. "Well come on. Sitting and pouting about it won't get us anywhere." Arthur said leading his horse into the woods. Lancelot looked up into the sky and snowflakes caught on his face. "Bloody Britain and bloody cold." He mumbled to himself as he got up to follow Arthur.

For hours they walked, becoming colder by the second and having no hope of reaching their destination. Soon it became to dark to walk and the two friends were forced to make camp, but fortunately they were in a safer part of the forest and did not have to worry about Woads. The two men lay close to the fire with their heads almost touching and both had their eyes turned to the sky. "It doesn't look like it's going to be any clearer tomorrow, does it?" Lancelot asked. "No it doesn't but looks can be deceiving. It will be colder tomorrow for sure." Arthur predicted. "Great." Lancelot muttered moving closer to the fire. Arthur chuckled then became serious.

"Lancelot, I'm sorry you have to be here." He said solemnly. "Arthur it's not the first time we've been lost and I doubt it's the last." The dark knight said lightly. "No Lancelot, I mean here in Britain." Arthur corrected and Lancelot picked up on the serious mood of his commander. "It's not so bad if I don't think about it. It makes me sad that I can't remember things about my home as well as I used to. It seems I've known you longer than anyone else Arthur. You're my family." Lancelot said cocking his head so he could look at his friend and Arthur did the same.

"In a way I'm glad your forefather's mad that pact because it gives me a chance to know such honorable men…and such cocky ones!" Arthur said restoring the light mood. Lancelot reached up and smacked Arthur's arm and the Roman returned the favor. "Good night Arthur." Lancelot said already half asleep. "Good night…little brother." Arthur whispered to his sleeping friend and with that he himself drifted into sweet oblivion.

Just as Arthur had predicted the next day turned out to be colder than the last, much to the knights and their horse's dismay. "Where to now?" Lancelot asked mounting his horse. "I don't know, I'm winging this." Arthur answered spurring his horse into the woods. "Day two the adventure continues." Lancelot said following after Arthur.

The pair rode till noon when they stopped by a frozen lake to have lunch and rest their horses. When the two humans were done, Lancelot let Arthur pack their supplies while he skipped stones across the frozen lake. After all it was the Roman's fault they were in this predicament in the first place. Once Arthur had finished packing and putting the supplies on Hadrian, his horse, he started watching Lancelot, who was still contently skipping stones, when a brilliant idea came to him. Arthur grinned evilly.

Meanwhile Lancelot was silently congratulating himself on a particularly good throw when he felt the air being knocked from his lungs. Someone had attacked him! Lancelot and his attacker roller roughly closer to the lake and Lancelot's first thought was that is was a Woad ambush so he immediately jumped to his feet and unsheathed his twin swords. However what he saw was the last thing he expected when he looked at his assailant and saw Arthur lying in the snow laughing like a nine-year-old.

"Arthur! What did you do that for?" Lancelot asked quickly returning his swords to there scabbards. " You looked like you needed it." Arthur answered as if it was the most obvious answer in the world. Lancelot's eyes narrowed dangerously in mock anger. "Your dead." He hissed attempting to tackle his friend but Arthur was too quick. The Roman commander got to his feet and began to run away but the young knight pulled him back to the ground. The two wrestled for quiet some time becoming cold in the snow but neither would stop the fun, but finally Lancelot managed to get to his feet and start to run away but the bigger man gave chase.

Lancelot glanced behind his shoulder as he ran to see that he had a fairly good lead. When the knight turned back around to see where he was going he saw that he had nearly ran into Arthur's horse, Hadrian. The horse, being spooked by having a man running at him, reared up and kicked with his front legs. Lancelot sidestepped to avoid being kicked but unfortunately he stepped in the wrong directions and fell through the ice of the frozen lake. "Lancelot!" Arthur screamed running to where his friend had fallen. With out a second thought, Arthur plunged his hand into the water trying to find Lancelot.

It felt like hours had passed before he finally felt something tangible. As Arthur pulled up on the object he found he had a hold of Lancelot by the shoulder. Quickly he pulled the knight out of the water and onto the dry land. Lancelot lay unmoving, his lips tinged blue and his face as white as the snow he laid upon. Arthur checked for vitals and was relieved to find a heartbeat, no matter how feint. "Come on, Lancelot!" Arthur encouraged pumping furiously on Lancelot's chest.

Finally Arthur was rewarded when Lancelot's eyes flew open and he began to cough up all the water he had in his lungs. Conquest, Lancelot's horse, had wandered over to see what was happening to his master and Arthur grabbed a blanket from his saddle bag and wrapped it around Lancelot, who's teeth were chattering from the coldness that seeped into his body. Arthur rubbed Lancelot's arms in an attempt to warm him. Lancelot didn't speak but continued to chatter as his eye's followed every move Arthur made as the captain retrieved more blankets for him. Arthur seemed to understand Lancelot's reason for doing so and it made him laugh full heartedly. "What? It's not MY fault you fell in the lake!" He said lightly. "N N No… J Ju Just … you're … ho horse's." Lancelot stammered making Arthur laugh even more, if that was possible.

The blue ting finally left Lancelot's lips but the young knight remained very pale which worried Arthur to no end. "I'm going to go get firewood. Here change into these while I'm gone." Arthur said hading Lancelot his spare set of close. "Don…Don't get los…lost." Lancelot said earning himself a light smack upside the head. Arthur disappeared into the forest and returned a few minutes later with an arm full of wood but unfortunately his knight was no where to be seen. The place where Lancelot had been was now occupied by his Conquest. Upon closer inspection Arthur realized that the horse had moved to stand over Lancelot, presumable to share body heat. Conquest really did seem more human than horse. Lancelot lay with his head resting on one of the horses front legs, fast asleep.

Arthur smiled and set to work getting the fire going strong. Once that was done Arthur gently woke Lancelot and made he move over to the fire, with Conquest in tow. After a small diner of dried meat and bread, Lancelot fell into the dream world again and Arthur put his crimson cloak across the knights still form. Arthur sat up the rest of the night staring into the fire and glancing frequently over at his still sleeping friend.

Half on hour before sunrise Arthur was beginning to nod off just as a beautiful young hawk landed on his leg and squawked at him. The captain's eyes snapped open and fixed on the bird that was cocking his head at him. Arthur would have sworn if that bird could take it would say, "Where in Britain have you been!" It was Tristan's hawk! Arthur slid his fingers under the animal's talons and stroked its chest softly. "Go tell them where we are." Arthur whispered throwing the hawk into the air where it flew gracefully into the forest and disappeared.

Lancelot chose that moment to let his eyes flutter open. "Morning! How you feeling?" Arthur asked helping his friend sit up. "I feel like I fell in a frozen lake. Oh, I did." Lancelot responded, pulling a blanket around his shoulders. "Your mouth is going to get you into trouble one of these days." Arthur warned good-naturedly. "So what? I'll have you to get me out of it…even though you get me into trouble more." Arthur glared at him but the knight just sneezed and then sniffled and Arthur gave him a worried look. "You're getting a cold." He stated. "You would to if you fell in a ice-covered lake." "I have better balance than you do so it wouldn't have happened to me." Lancelot glared daggered at his friend.

"So," Lancelot said changing the subject, "Do we know how we're getting back to the Wall?" "Arthur may not, but I think it would be best if we led you." Arthur and Lancelot turned to see Gawain and Tristan riding up to them. Tristan's hawk was sitting on his shoulder. "Yes Arthur how long _does_ it take to stretch your horse?" Gawain asked. Lancelot sneezed again and Tristan noticed his pale face and runny nose. "Lancelot has a cold." He said, to which the dark haired knight rolled his eyes and said:I'm surrounded by geniuses." "Yes I know but you'll be in bed for a week when we get back." Tristan said. Lancelot was began to protest but Arthur cut him off saying, "Follow the healers orders, Lance." Arthur quickly explained what has happened to the two other knights. They laughed for a long time before Lancelot finally through rocks at them to shut them up.

"Tristan we lost the bet." The blonde knight said to the scout. "What bet?" Arthur and Lancelot asked at the same time. "Tristan and I bet it would be Arthur would be the one who had gotten into trouble and the rest of them bet Lancelot." Gawain explained. "Remind me to thank them for the vote of confidence." Lancelot said dryly as he mounted his horse. Arthur packed what little they had and mounted Hadrian and they all began their journey…with Tristan's guidance's of course.

"You know," Arthur said coming up beside Lancelot, "I'll be teasing you about this for years to come." "Oh no! Arthur you can't! I have stories about you too, you know." Lancelot threatened lamely. "Perhaps. But not as many as I have about you." Arthur said with a wicked smile as he spurred his horse forward. "Arthur!" Lancelot shouted after him. "Arturious!"


End file.
